Z-Scan Study on a Silver Nanoparticles Embedded TeO_2-SiO_2 Glass Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

摘要

An inserted type Ag/TeO_2-SiO_2 composite gel glass was prepared through silver nanoparticles embedded in TeO_2-SiO_2 composite gel. The silver nanoparticles were prepared previously by ascorbic acid deoxygenates AgNO_3 solution and mixed into TeO_2-SiO_2 composite sol which was prepared in aqueous system using TeO_2 and tetraethoxysilane as precursors, and then the inserted type Ag/TeO_2-SiO_2 composite gel glass was produced through sol aging and molding. The silver nanoparticles which dispersed in the TeO_2-SiO_2 gel substrate made the composite glass having excellent nonlinear optical properties. The nonlinear optical parameters was tested by Z-scan technique using 15 ps laser pulses at the wavelength of 532 nm. The surface morphology was characterized by SEM. The results identified that spherical Ag nanoparticles with the size about 50-100 nm dispersed in the TeO_2-SiO_2 gel. In the Ag/TeO_2-SiO_2 material, the doped structure and the trigonal bipyramid structure of TeO_2 was the important factor for the excellent nonlinear optical performance.